Challenges and perspectives for the Brazilian semi-arid coast under global environmental changes

• Published in: Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation
• Main Authors: Soares, M. O., Campos, C. C., Carneiro, P. B.M., Barroso, H. S., Marins, R. V., Teixeira, C. E.P., Menezes, M. O.B., Pinheiro, L. S., Viana, M. B., Feitosa, C. V., Sanchéz-Botero, J. I., Bezerra, L. E.A., Rocha-Barreira, C. A., Matthews-Cascon, H., Matos, F. O., Gorayeb, A., Cavalcante, M. S., Moro, M. F., Rossi, S., Belmonte, G., Melo, V. M.M., Rosado, Alexandre S., Ramires, G., Tavares, T. C.L., Garcia, T. M.
• Other Authors: Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE) Division, Instituto de Ciências do Mar (LABOMAR), Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Brazil, Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche e Ambientali (DISTEBA), Università del Salento, Lecce, Italy, Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA), Universitat Autônoma de Barcelona (UAB), Cerdanyolla del Valles, Spain, Universidade Federal do Delta do Parnaíba (UFDPar), Parnaíba, Brazil, Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Brazil, Departamento de Geografia, Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC), Fortaleza, Brazil, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, AQUASIS, Fortaleza, Brazil
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Elsevier BV 2021
• Subjects: Arctic; Climate change
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10754/670079; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pecon.2021.06.001

Understanding the impacts on the Brazilian semi-arid coast, which is a drought-prone area (>1000 km) in the tropical Atlantic, and how ecosystems survive and adapt to such extreme environments requires socioecological studies to create a theory for conservation. Here, we highlight five main ongoing changes in tropical semi-arid areas, namely (1) the decrease in rainfall rates due to climate change, which alters freshwater flows, alters water residence times, and promotes hypersalinity (>37) in low-inflow estuaries; (2) sea-level rise, groundwater hazards, increased erosion of beaches and nearshore mangroves, and landward mangrove forest expansion due to enhanced saline intrusion along river basins; (3) the decrease in land-ocean fluxes due to silting and closure of sandy bars in estuarine mouths; (4) warming and increased intensity and frequency of extreme events (e.g., heat waves, droughts, and sea swells); and (5) growing eutrophication and hypoxia, loss of vegetation cover and biodiversity due to urbanization, aquaculture (shrimp farming), agriculture, and land-use change, which includes building dams for water supply. The alteration of biogeochemical processes (“Arctic Paradox” hypothesis) and acidification that potentialize the impact of contaminants and nutrients is also highlighted. These impacts have effects on food and water security and multiple trophic levels, which should preferentially be studied through a long-term approach for advancing research. Based on these concerns, we propose key questions that should guide research in the context of the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030) to support science-based management actions in Brazil and other similar semi-arid areas worldwide. This perspective article outlines the Brazilian Semi-Arid Coast Long Term Ecological Research Project (PELD-CSB) and the first research site on this coastline focusing on the following main scientific question: how do climatic and environmental variability in the semi-arid coast affect ...